Tuesday's letters: Act responsibly

Published: Tuesday, October 29, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, October 28, 2013 at 7:48 p.m.

To the editor: My wife and I are getting a divorce. We can’t decide who gets “those treasured items” we have accumulated during our marriage. What to do? I say, “Well, I’m not going to be held hostage.” She says, “Well, I’m not giving in!” Our solution: “We’ll burn the house down.”

Presently in Washington, our government is “burning the house down!” Oh, I don’t care what your political affiliation might be, there is enough to blame to go around. Yes, they can talk all they want about integrity, about principle, but it is self-serving rhetoric looking forward to the next election cycle.

The highlighted example right now is “Obamacare,” or the Affordable Care Act. (It is interesting that polls show the ACA is more popular than Obamacare, which tells me people only know what media “talking heads” tell us to believe.) For every negative comment, there is a positive comment and the never-ending “I’m right, you’re wrong” division.

To save our “treasured items,” my wife and I have to act responsibly, otherwise we lose everything. To save our government, our representatives need to act responsibly because no one person is completely right. There are always two sides to every argument and the truth is somewhere in between.

Barry McMillion

Hendersonville

Our mountains

To the editor: I would just like to remind people that the mountains around here are the reason why many of us like living here. The fountain on Main Street represents the mountain ranges that surround Hendersonville. In case you are not familiar with these ranges, they are Sugarloaf Mountain, Pinnacle Mountain and Mount Pisgah.

And, by the way, mountains often resemble body parts and get named for them. Have you seen Grandfather Mountain, “Charlie’s Bunion,” the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho or the Grand Tetons in Wyoming?

The mountains are the source of everything we love about this place. They are home to the wildlife, birds, bears, deer and squirrels. They are the source of the water we drink, the waterfalls, the water in our rivers and lakes, and the cool mountain air.

The artist who created the Mountain Memories fountain has sculptures in Spartanburg, Greenville, the Grove Park Inn, Brookgreen Gardens, Georgia, New York and Kentucky. There are many towns near here that would love to have a mountain fountain on their main streets, namely Brevard, Black Mountain, Old Fort and Waynesville, but we got the first one! For heaven’s sake, let’s celebrate it.

Sandra J. Harrison

Hendersonville

Great location

To the editor: I drive across Four Seasons Boulevard frequently. Every time I pass the derelict cinema, restaurant and All Creatures Great and Small, I think, what a wonderful location this would be for the new, improved, expanded YMCA that has been rumored for at least 25 years.

Now that our Y is part of the YMCA of Western North Carolina, I had hoped it might stop spending money on painting and fixing and “improving” the present old facility. Another new improvement project has been announced! Groan!

The location between Four Seasons Boulevard and Seventh Avenue is perfectly central. Not too far south or north or east or west. Just centrally perfect. These properties have disgraced our “entrance” to Hendersonville long enough. Perhaps the owners might get a great tax deduction if they offered the property to the Y at a huge discount, or even as a donation!

<p>To the editor: My wife and I are getting a divorce. We can’t decide who gets those treasured items we have accumulated during our marriage. What to do? I say, Well, I’m not going to be held hostage. She says, Well, I’m not giving in! Our solution: We’ll burn the house down.</p><p>Presently in Washington, our government is burning the house down! Oh, I don’t care what your political affiliation might be, there is enough to blame to go around. Yes, they can talk all they want about integrity, about principle, but it is self-serving rhetoric looking forward to the next election cycle.</p><p>The highlighted example right now is Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act. (It is interesting that polls show the ACA is more popular than Obamacare, which tells me people only know what media talking heads tell us to believe.) For every negative comment, there is a positive comment and the never-ending I’m right, you’re wrong division.</p><p>To save our treasured items, my wife and I have to act responsibly, otherwise we lose everything. To save our government, our representatives need to act responsibly because no one person is completely right. There are always two sides to every argument and the truth is somewhere in between.</p><p><em>Barry McMillion</em></p><p><em>Hendersonville</em></p><h3>Our mountains</h3>
<p>To the editor: I would just like to remind people that the mountains around here are the reason why many of us like living here. The fountain on Main Street represents the mountain ranges that surround Hendersonville. In case you are not familiar with these ranges, they are Sugarloaf Mountain, Pinnacle Mountain and Mount Pisgah.</p><p>And, by the way, mountains often resemble body parts and get named for them. Have you seen Grandfather Mountain, Charlie’s Bunion, the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho or the Grand Tetons in Wyoming?</p><p>The mountains are the source of everything we love about this place. They are home to the wildlife, birds, bears, deer and squirrels. They are the source of the water we drink, the waterfalls, the water in our rivers and lakes, and the cool mountain air.</p><p>The artist who created the Mountain Memories fountain has sculptures in Spartanburg, Greenville, the Grove Park Inn, Brookgreen Gardens, Georgia, New York and Kentucky. There are many towns near here that would love to have a mountain fountain on their main streets, namely Brevard, Black Mountain, Old Fort and Waynesville, but we got the first one! For heaven’s sake, let’s celebrate it.</p><p><em>Sandra J. Harrison</em></p><p><em>Hendersonville</em></p><h3>Great location</h3>
<p>To the editor: I drive across Four Seasons Boulevard frequently. Every time I pass the derelict cinema, restaurant and All Creatures Great and Small, I think, what a wonderful location this would be for the new, improved, expanded YMCA that has been rumored for at least 25 years.</p><p>Now that our Y is part of the YMCA of Western North Carolina, I had hoped it might stop spending money on painting and fixing and improving the present old facility. Another new improvement project has been announced! Groan!</p><p>The location between Four Seasons Boulevard and Seventh Avenue is perfectly central. Not too far south or north or east or west. Just centrally perfect. These properties have disgraced our entrance to Hendersonville long enough. Perhaps the owners might get a great tax deduction if they offered the property to the Y at a huge discount, or even as a donation!</p><p><em>Connie Engle</em></p><p><em>Hendersonville</em></p>